Wide Awake
by Damon'sHumanity
Summary: One-Shot. Set after 3x22 when Elena wakes up. Elric. Don't like, don't read. But if you do, please review! Has nothing to do with Katy Perry's song, other than the fact that it was a catchy title. For Gina and Lea.


_**Wide Awake**_

**A/N: This is a one-shot done for two good friends of mine, Gina and Lea, who are some huge Elric fans. Suddenly, I just got the motivation to write this, so I hope they read and enjoy it, and I hope whoever is reading this now enjoys it as well! It's set almost right after the finale when Elena wakes up in the morgue. I'm sorry, if you're not Elric fans, you probably won't like this. But hey, you don't have to read it! You've been pre-warned! But if you do, please leave me a review! I don't mind constructive criticism, but no hate, please. There IS a difference!**

_Elena's POV:_

Somewhere along the way, I got lost. Very lost. And by that, I mean I lost sight of who I was, what I valued, and who I was meant to become. I even lost the ability to appreciate what was right in front of me for so long. _But my eyes are finally open._ I can see my mistakes now. Now that it's too late. Now that my life is already over. Now that _he's_ gone.

That's all I've been able to think about since I "woke up." I am in transition. I guess it was the ultimate reality check because I am wide awake now. It doesn't matter. I keep replaying moments in my head, remembering everything about him and wishing that it would be enough to bring him back. There were countless opportunities that I'd missed. He was what I always wanted deep down, and I finally figured it out…now that it's too late.

It figures. That's just how my life seems to work. Elena Gilbert, the girl who constantly hurts the ones she loves, no matter how hard she tries to save them. It's a very bitter truth about me. I looked around at the empty, cold room, relishing in the silence, though it did not comfort me. It was still hard to believe that I was in a morgue.

They are right outside. The Salvatore brothers. If I focus, I can hear them arguing about me. I've torn them apart, just as Katherine did. And for what? So I can tell them that I choose neither one of them as they finally think one of them will get the chance to spend eternity with me? They will never understand. They will blame each other. They won't see it. No one ever did. I never did...well, until now, that is.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and I looked up, expecting to see one of them, probably Damon, since he tended to go for the dramatic entrances normally. Plus, I'd requested to be alone to consider my…options, and he was stubborn. He probably just wanted to make his case on why I should turn. I sighed in preparation and looked up.

It was _not _Damon. I gasped.

"Alaric?" I breathed. He closed the door quietly and stared at me. I moved off of the table, and rushed towards him. I hugged him tightly, making sure he was real. Not pulling away, I met his eyes. "How is this _possible_?"

He broke the embrace, looking down at me seriously before he answered, "I died when you died, and I don't remember how it happened, but I saw Jeremy. After that, I felt stuck in this black nothingness. I don't even know how long I was there, but suddenly…_I wasn't_. I think that because my life was tethered to yours, when you woke up…so did I."

"Oh my God. I'm so glad you're back. Wait, where are Stefan and Damon? Weren't they out there? Did they see you?" I questioned.

"Yes, they did. I told them what I told you, and they thought it would be good for you to see me. They said you'd been really torn up since you woke up and wouldn't even speak to them. They said it was worth a shot to see if I could get through to you." He replied, looking down at me, his eyes full of concern.

I met his gaze, my eyes full of wonder. I blinked, trying to process all of it. It was crazy, but wonderful. And I realized that I had an opportunity to fix my mistakes. _Right now_ is my chance. I hadn't lost him.

"Ric," I started, "I have to talk to you about…" Before I could finish my sentence, he stopped me.

"Wait," he said, "I wasn't finished. I think that…my life is still tethered to yours. So, we're gonna have that whole 'You jump, I jump' thing whether you want it or not. But Elena…" he stopped, taking my hands, "I wouldn't have it any other way. I want you to know that."

My heart leapt as he said that, hope vibrating through me. I squeezed his hands and took a deep breath as I spoke, "Neither would I. Ric, when I thought that you were dead, I…I wasn't going to complete the transition. I guess it took me thinking I had truly lost you forever to realize how much you mean to me. You were there for me when I needed you most. And now I've finally realized what I was doing wrong as a human; it's so clear to me now. The reason I was so unsure about Stefan and Damon is because…I shouldn't be with either one of them. I should be with _you_."

As I finished my speech, he dropped my hands. I looked down, feeling shocked and rejected. A tear fell from my eye. He swept it away with his thumb but did not remove his hand from my face, so I looked up at him in confusion. Before I could beg him to say something, he leaned in and kissed me softly, his lips careful as they caressed mine for the first time. He pulled away slightly, leaning his forehead on mine.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I've wanted to do that for a while, but I never thought you'd feel the same way, and I just kept silent for so long. I got used to it and the idea that you'd always belong to either Stefan or Damon. I guess I was just…shocked to hear that it had changed. But," he smiled, tracing a pattern on my cheeks with his thumbs, "it was a good kind of shock."

At that, I couldn't help but kiss him again, feeling so relieved and content that I poured it all into that one kiss. In that moment, I knew we'd be together forever. He made me feel alive (though technically neither of us were), but he also made me feel safe as he always had. Here, with Alaric, I was at home at last. Nothing else mattered as he held my face, not Stefan, Damon, or even Meredith. The beauty of eternity was finally starting to appeal to me.

**A/N: Okay, thank you for reading! Again, please review if you can! :)**

**PS: I would just like to point out that I am a HUGE Delena fan, but I still respect this ship and the others, so please respect it too! **

**-Damon'sHumanity **


End file.
